Caltex Socceroos Ajdin Hrustic and Dylan McGowan were on cloud nine after making their international debuts in Tuesday night’s loss to a sensational Brazil at the MCG.
WRAP: Brazilians sparkle in win over Socceroos
Hrustic, of Dutch club Groningen and McGowan, who’s recently signed for Portuguese outfit Pacos de Ferreira from Adelaide United, spoke to reporters after the game following their debuts as second-half subs in front of almost 50,000 at the MCG.
Hrustic on his debut
“It’s great to make your debut against Brazil in my hometown where I was born.
“Disappointing to get away with that kind of result but I’m sure we’ll learn from this and take it as a positive away to Russia.
“I felt good. I was excited. There was no need to be nervous. It’s a friendly game.
“The boss just told me to do my thing.
“[Brazil] is a different kind of football style [to the Dutch league] but you learn from every team.
“You learn something from every game positive and negative.”
McGowan on his debut
“Not a result we wanted but on a personal level to debut is the pinnacle of your career. I’m over the moon it’s just a shame about the result.
“Looking back it’s just a lot of hard work to get here [to debut] and I’ll enjoy tonight.
“You always learn a bit more when you lose – especially against a top team like Brazil - defensively and going forward.
“We tried to play our football against the world’s best nation at the moment [number one currently on FIFA rankings].
“It’s a great month to be here [in the national team]. I’m enjoying training and learning a lot."